hartleymartin

In case this had not already been mentioned, the GOG recommends weighting a wagon so that it is at least 1 gram per mm length over buffers and no wagon to weigh less than 125 grams. Most plastic wagons need weight added otherwise they are far too light and tend to jump the track on curves or going through points.

I love seeing layouts like this. I am now wondering if I should have bought the green Hudswell Clarke instead of the black one!

I have to admit that I find the 4x4 operation rather hilarious, but it wouldn't be so funny if it were off the end of a shelf layout!

Reading this thread has reminded me why I love O gauge so much. It is really a great builder's scale and it isn't too hard to improve a model from the stock kit. I recently assembled a slaters MR 3-plank drop-side wagon. I forgot all about scribing the floor until I had already assembled it. I think that the best course of action is to use a sheet of 0.5mm thick scribed styrene sheet to add the floor planking. It is likely that this wagon will end up with a removable load that will more or less remain permanently in the wagon and the extra bit of work will be hidden. It is still worth it.

Another weathering technique I had heard of was to use watercolour paints. If you stuff it up, you can just wash it off! If you've managed to get it right, spray with matt clear finish and hope that it doesn't change.

It appears that the point for the loco-release is going to be a Wye point. This is a good idea, as it does save a bit of length and also breaks up the straight lines otherwise seen on the layout. I find that a greater realism is achieved if one avoids having too much straight track and if it is not parallel with the front edge of the baseboard.

By the way, are there any ready-to-use locomotive lamps im 7mm scale? I've seen 4mm ones, but surely the same would be available in 7mm. The sort with a little LED inside and wires trailing out of the rear or bottom.

Inspirational stuff! 7mm scale is marvellous for allowing you to do this sort of detailing to a model. You can actually (sort of) see it for a change! I have a feeling that as a popular model, the HC will prove popular for conversations and customisations.

You can hide the lack of proper valve gear with some nifty little "Slide bar covers" the little 0F pugs from Hornby use them. They were even used on larger locomotives where wind and sand were a problem. It is possible the easiest way to disguise the lack of proper slide bars. Certainly if I ever scratch-build an 0-4-0 or 0-6-0 outside cylinder industrial locomotive I intend to do this.

That 10t brake van from the previous page. Who made ot and can I get one? That 10t brake van from the previous page. Who made ot and can I get one?

At the moment I don't have the capital to pay for the replacement clutch on my car let alone a cottage business.

You should consider making up another set of these parts to be used as masters for dress-up/modification kits of the Hudswell Clarke! There are dozens of such kits out for the Bachmann On30 Porter and such. I should imagine that people would like to customise their Ixion HC's!

We really need Peco to make a 3-way or tandem point. In fact, it would be in their interest to do so! Think about it. 1 point, 4 yards of flex-track. INSTANT INGLENOOK!

Are those Hudson V-tippers hard to build? They might be just the ticket for a project of mine!

Surely there must be a way to have a below-the-ground over-centre spring to make these throw points in a prototypical manner.

I can only imagine! Do you sort the bits out by what they are (locomotive bits, building bits, wagon bits, etc) or by the materials (brass, plastic, card, etc)? After going through a couple of San Francisco Cable Car kits for parts to make my Sydney D class tram, as well as the conversion of the Minicraft Models Vulcan 2-4-0 to standard gauge, there is a huge amount of plastic components left over. I think perhaps I should build up some of the coaches for On30 and flog them off on ebay.

Like you, I cannot help but tinker with a perfectly good ready-to-run model.

Have you thought about coating the heads of the rails with graphite? Basically, the graphite gives the Nickel-Silver a colour more closely resembling steel, and prevents dirt from sticking to the track. It will also coat the wheels of your locomotives and rolling stock. A 6B or 9B artist's graphite pencil is all you need to do it.

The NSWGR did originally have lower platforms. The platforms were raised when electric stock were introduced, although on many country stations they still have the lower platform height. There is a photo in a 1974 ARHS Bulletin showing Dundas Station with a partially-raised platform. The platform surface should be ever so slightly lower than the step of the door (about 1mm lower in HO scale)

Or we can take a Peco standard curve and straight piece of track, super-impose them and then conjure up our own points. Murphy's law says that they won't be the same as the eventual Peco standard ones.

I have already converted one mechanism and it runs well. I acquired a second-hand Tower Models 14" barclay and was amazed to see how simple the chassis is. They used 3/4" brass U-channel, but I am convinced that 1" channel would work just as well, if not better as the axles require spacers to stop the wheels from moving too far from side-to-side.

Where can I get a drawing for this type of sentinel shunter?

I've although thought about going for a Sentinel Scratch-build. The post-war 100hp type on a modified Bachmann Streetcar Power-truck would be the easiest for me, as the pre-war types had a longer wheelbase.

I'm guessing that you drilled the axle holes through the sides of the U-channel and then some suitable holes/slots to attach the motor to the centre section.

Knightwings industrial shunter? Can you still get those?